Questions To Kickstart Your Personal Style

An intriguing fashionlogue, Parade: The story of fashion in Australia by Alexandra Joel, brings to life in stunning pictures and well-researched words a take on all things antipodean and sartorial which, honestly, I never knew existed.

With a Foreword by the incomparably stylish Maggie Tabberer, this bicep-building tome starts with The Colonial Years of 1788-1850, and chronicles decade-by-decade up til the date of publication (sadly this is 1998 so we are left with the most recent decades not included).

You honestly have to see it to believe it, looking at these images of Australian style from the 18th and 19th centuries (quite a few from art gallery sources). Who knew?

And don’t get me started on the 20th century photographs, especially the 1980s (“The High Life” – yes we had decadence in Australia in the 1980s like every other Western nation) – I could look at those photographs for hours, they are so alluring. I’ve practically worn the print off this section of the the book!

The 1980s was the decade of my adolescence, and I was really experimenting and exploring about style and what I liked, what I could get away with (I pushed a few boundaries) – I see now that I was trying to get a sense of who I was in that decade. I’m not sure that journey has ever stopped, actually.

Needless to say the photographs in Parade from this period are too stunning for words.

Okay so the truth is, I really bought the book for the pictures, but found myself intrigued by the story of Australian fashion (and style) Alexandra Joel so engagingly tells. And right from the get-go, she hooks us in. The opening words in the Introduction grab your attention: What is Australian fashion? How good is it? Does it exist at all?

I, for one, must freely confess that before I picked up this glorious book, had I been given a few moments to ponder Australian fashion and its history, I would have probably come up with similar questions, right off the bat. There may even be a slightly sardonic raising of the eyebrow to accompany these questions.

Australia is known for many things, and I feel privileged to live in this lucky country… but “stylish” may not be on the list of Top Ten things that immediately leap to mind when you think (and feel) about Aussies, right? Well, that’s what I blindly assumed, before Parade.

Turns out I was wrong.

Home: An Australian Quarterly from 1923 – including sections on “the cult of dress” and the “…requirements of feminine adornment.” Image credit: State Library Victoria

The Australian fashion scene was happenin’! Every period in Parade showcases something interesting, most of it I wasn’t aware of. It’s a real education.

I found it all dream reading (and watching — did I mention the photographs?!), but it was in the chapter on Eclectic Influences: 1970 – 1980 (one of my other most favourite style decades, possibly because it was the decade of my birth and those style influences, some eclectic others no doubt more mundane, were seeping into my very young pores), that I found this segment leap off the page at me:

A new iconoclastic approach to fashion was provided by the alternative fashion magazine of the 1970s, Rag Times, which was far more audacious than its established competitors. “We’re not going to tell you what you should wear…” stated the publications’ first editorial. It went onto to spell out the philosophy from which avant-garde Australian fashion had begun to take its cue: “The key word to putting clothes on your body is style. Or to be more precise, personal style… Nobody knows better than you what you should wear and how you should look”. — pp223, 225 (emphasis mine)

This piece went onto say that because Rag Times was printed on newspaper (very daring — all the other fashion sources were printed in glossy magazines with months-long lead times), they were able to print the hottest street looks within virtual moments of them being seen on the scene — the “concrete catwalk”.

Australian style, 1974 courtesy of The Australian Women’s Weekly – an ever-trusted source of much wisdom on all things fashion, food, and family! Image credit: National Library of Australia

Shakespeare said it best, there is truly nothing new under the sun. So whilst it wasn’t a new concept that in the 1970s, published style sources were exalting the power of personal style — hey, guess what: there’s a real live person in here – not just a mannequin! — it sure was encouraging to see.

And of course that’s what we’re all about here at 16 Style Types: the power of personal style.

Putting the person back into personal style.

Helping you connect with your style essence so that your style expression is truly authentic.

Stopping the copying, foregoing the formulas, and defining and creating for yourself what true style really is.

With all this style stimulation buzzing around me from regular flipping through Parade, it had me wondering how helpful it could be to pose a key question that each Style Type could well ask themselves when it comes to personal style.

If you put the person back into personal style, what’s the key question most likely to connect you to your style essence – your Style Type?

Charming Stylist ESFJ

Whimsical Stylist ISFP

Vivacious Stylist ESFP

What’s going to look good and be a tonne of fun with my style here?

The Passing Parade

My enduring thanks must go to Alexandra Joel for an outstanding resource, full of glorious photographs and intriguing detail — the time and effort that surely must have gone into the research alone are extraordinary and worth much kudos. As a source of stimulation, Parade is a knock-out — from the moment I picked it up to 45 seconds ago when I started typing this second-to-final paragraph, it has provided me with many hours of enjoyment – and I’m sure will continue to do so.

I hope this brief glimpse into the story of Australian fashion has prompted some intriguing reflections for you, too – about your own style and the many influences on it, including those from your youth and your culture.

My very best intention is also that the key questions included in this piece for your Style Type will provide a useful handrail as you travel your authentic style pathway.

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This program has been created by world-leader in the field of psychological type, Jane Kise, internationally certified image consultant Imogen Lamport, and globally experienced facilitator and coach Jill Chivers.